Zhor El Kamch winning the 9th la Course Féminine in Casablanca (© Sean Wallace Jones)
Casablanca, MoroccoThis morning, Morocco’s Zhor El Kamch took back her crown as queen of the Course Féminine, Courir pour le Plaisir, here in Casablanca.
After a gutsy display of front running, El Kamch broke the tape in 31:56, finishing 13 seconds ahead of Kenyan Pauline Wangui.
El Kamch has now won no less than seven of the nine editions of the annual women’s 10 kilometre race organized by Moroccan legend Nawal El Moutawakel. She won this years’ race after holding the lead from the start; going out strongly from the gun and heading the lead pack throughout the race, she gradually dropped all the other elite runners, with only Wangui holding on until two kilometres from the finish, until she too gave in to the punishing pace set by El Kamch in the grueling 25 degrees prevailing in Casablanca.
Nearly 30,000 take part
In the leaders wake ran a torrent of nearly thirty thousand women of all ages and many different nationalities, all running together in a spirit of celebration for women’s solidarity and the pure pleasure of finding themselves actors in this epic event.
The race El Moutawakel started in 1993, as a small scale five kilometre race has grown to become one of the largest women-only races in the world and the biggest on the African continent. At the first edition 1381 women took up the daring challenge launched by El Moutawakel of holding a women’s only race in this (albeit progressive) Muslim country. Since then neither El Moutawakel nor the Course Féminine have looked back, with each edition getting bigger and better.
After a hiatus period from the second edition in 1994 to 2001, when the race started up again over the longer distance of 10 kilometres, the participation and the notoriety of the race have grown exponentially, attracting women in 2001, to pass the symbolic figure of 20,000 in 2005 and nearly 30,000 today. The organisers had pegged the official entries at 25,000, but many of the 5000 plus women who had not been in time to get their official bib number turned up to participate anyway.
Some running, many walking, women from the early teens to their seventies worked their way around the course traced through the streets of Casablanca from the start in front of the Wilaya of Casablanca (seat of the regional government of the Greater Casablanca area) to pass along the sea front and beneath the towering walls of the Hassan II Mosque to the finish line before the Wilaya.
International stars on hand
Once again the event was attended by a number of international sports stars, with Marie-José Perec once again running the course and Heike Drechsler and Daley Thompson joining the wife of IAAF President Lamine Diack and a host of other personalities in the VIP tribune.
“This was quite simply the greatest edition so far,” said El Moutawakel after the race. “Every year we have striven to improve the quality of the race for the entrants and thanks to the wonderful team that we have here and the great co-operation with the regional government, the city authorities and the police and other public services – and of course the fantastic support from our sponsors – this year has once again been a great success.
“This is such an important event for the women here and the fact that we are also attracting so many runners from elsewhere in the world adds to the great social impact that the Casablanca Women’s race has built upon at every edition.
“The women running – and walking – the course are finding an identity and enjoying one of the greatest possible pleasures by taking exercise, each at their own level, in the company of other women who share their problems and aspirations and through this they are building their self esteem and doing good for their health also.
“Before the race started, many of the women that we have seen running and walking around the course today would probably never have taken any sort of exercise at all and a few years ago they would never have dreamt of being out there on the streets in front of cheering supporters. In a way they have become stars in their own world and this feeling is strengthened by the many husbands, brothers and sons who line the streets to encourage and support them.
“It was also great this year to see Zhor (El Kamch) come back after a two year break (two years ago she was sick and last year was beaten into second place) to take back her title. It is a great boost for the Moroccan women to see one of their own winning and to be able to say that they were in the same race.
“Today’s race gives us great hope that next year, for the tenth edition of the race, we will really see something fabulous.”
Sean Wallace Jones for the IAAF
Leading results:
1) Zhor El Kamch (MAR) 31:56
2) Pauline Wangui (KEN) 32:09
3) Magdaline Symbua Mukunzi (KEN) 32:17
4) Azaech Masreshe (ETH) 32:38
5) Ait Salem Souad (ALG) 32:57
